Tottenham Close To Landing Barcelona Striker David Villa

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Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing Barcelona striker and Spanish international, David Villa, according to reports in Spain.

David Villa’s future at the Catalan club has been up for speculation this season. Villa, who is the all-time leading goal scorer for Spain, has endured a frustrating season on personal front. The forward has made only 14 appearances for Barcelona in the La Liga this season, mostly due to injuries, although at times Pedro or Alexis Sanchez has been preferred over him.

Arsenal were linked heavily with a move for the Spanish international during the January transfer window, but Barcelona weren’t prepared to let go of him in the middle of the campaign. The Gunners’ interest in Villa has cooled down in recent times and now their rivals, Tottenham Hotspur, are reportedly interested in landing the striker.

According to reports in Spain, David Villa is frustrated with his life at Barcelona currently as he is no longer a permanent fixture in the starting line-up. Also the fact the he has had to mostly play second fiddle to Lionel Messi hasn’t improved the situation. The Spaniard is believed to be looking for a fresh start to his career in a new league, with new challenges.

Barcelona are also interested in selling Villa, if they get the right offer, in the summer as they look to revamp the squad. But their high demands and Villa’s current wages is the only problem for interested parties. Tottenham however have launched a €12 million bid for the striker and are willing to change their wage structure to accommodate Villa (In fact they have to do so to accommodate Bale as well, if he agrees to sign the newly reported contract).

Villa’s current wages €165,000-a-week, and even if he decides to take a pay-cut it will still be more than most of the other player’s wages current at White Hart Lane. It is also believed that a significant amount of fee has to be paid to the agent of the Spaniard. So it is well worth debating whether it is logical to spend so much on a 31-year-old striker, who has made only 22 appearances in the league in the last two seasons due to fitness issues. But it must also be considered that despite being forced to play out wide, he has maintained a good goal scoring record whenever he has started.

According to reports in broadcasted by radio station Cadena Ser, Tottenham are in the final stages of their negotiation with David Villa and that both the parties are quite happy with. Despite his age and fitness, Villa could still be a massive coup for Tottenham, given the lack of goals from Adebayor this season. The former Arsenal striker’s future at White Hart Lane is also in doubt and it is believed that Spurs are also interested in signing Benteke as a replacement for him.